Tony Dungy: I Wasn’t Slamming Michael Sam’s Homosexuality

It took a lot of strength for Michael to come out as the first openly gay football player. He understood that unfortunately not everyone would support him — and after Tony said he ‘wouldn’t want to deal’ with Michael coming out, it seemed like the former NFL coach was one of them. But now Tony is speaking out on the subject and claiming that he wasn’t dissing Michael for being gay.

NFL analyst Tony Dungy, 58, tried to backpedal on his previous comments about Michael Sam, 24, but instead ended up elaborating on them on July 22. Michael courageously told the public that he was a proud, openly gay man and he hasn’t regretted it since. But apparently that didn’t sit right with Tony, who said he simply “wouldn’t want to deal” with drafting the first openly gay football player. Well, now Tony has to “deal” with a huge negative backlash!

It was only a matter of time before Tony tucked his tail between his legs and apologized for his previous ignorant comments about Michael’s sexual preference.

Tony issued a statement to the press on July 22, elaborating on his comments and responding to the backlash against him by saying, “I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization. I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction.”

He continued to try to save face by stating, “Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.”

Well, we think he should feel badly, and this new statement definitely didn’t help!

Tony Dungy: ‘I Wish Michael Sam Nothing But The Best’

To be fair, the former coach also tried to show Michael support for his future career, but even his attempt at being positive seemed misguided.

“I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field,” he said. “My sincere hope is that we will be able to focus on his play and not on his sexual orientation.”

Why shouldn’t we be allowed to celebrate Michael’s brave decision to come out? He’s quickly become a positive role model for others and we think he deserves the respect of everyone in the NFL.

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Is Tony Dungy just trying to save face with these comments or is he being sincere? Do you forgive him for dissing Michael? Let us know!